1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plug connector technology for automotive applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional connector elements for automotive applications, contact elements are introduced into a contact carrier, for example, the housing of the connector element, after crimping, i.e., the connection of a cable to a contact element. In this context, the contact elements lock a so-called primary locking lance using either a flexible element on the contact element, or by a flexible element in the connector housing, which engages in a corresponding recess on the contact element.
For contact elements having a primary locking lance, it is frequently possible to achieve higher chamber extraction forces for a given overall size, since plastic undercuts provided for locking may be designed to be larger than plastic locking hooks of the connector element.
Conventional plastic locking hooks are frequently made up of a flexible bar, to which a detent is attached, which engages in an opening in the contact element or on an edge on the contact element.
FIGS. 1a through 1c show embodiments of connector elements.
Connector elements having chambers into which the contact elements may be introduced are known. These chambers have locking hooks (see FIG. 1a) situated at a position, for example, on a rear wall. These locking hooks 6 engage in openings 16 of a contact element 4 and lock it, so that contact element 4 is prevented from being extracted from or sliding out of housing 14 of a connector element 2.
Another embodiment uses locking hooks, in which the movement of the hooks is not limited by chamber walls. The elimination of rear or intermediate spaces between contact elements and latching elements makes it possible to reduce the space requirement per chamber.
The movement of a locking hook 6 may occur, for example, in a recess, which is present in any case, or also in the direction of an additional locking hook 6 (see FIG. 1b). Alternatively, a locking hook 6 may also be used in the direction of an additional contact chamber on the side facing away from separate locking hook 6 (see FIG. 1c). For this purpose, in particular the removal of a contact element may require the previous removal of an additional contact element 4. In particular, compared to FIG. 1c, it may be necessary to remove right contact element 4 first in order to subsequently be able to remove left contact element 4. On the other hand, it may thus be possible to fix left contact element 4 using right contact element 4. Thus, depending on the system, limitations may be present with respect to the assembly sequence of the individual contacts (see FIG. 1c).
The dimensioning of a locking hook and thus also the buckling resistance to the extraction force are directly incorporated in the achievable row spacing in plug connector 2.